She plucked the distressed budgie – nicknamed Captain – from the sea and looked after him until they returned to shore.

She said: "When I first saw him he was flapping and disappearing under the water. He nearly drowned as he couldn't take off or swim.

"After we'd got him out I didn't think he'd make it. He was like a floppy, wet rag. I washed off the salt water stinging his eyes and wrapped him up warm in a dark ventilated box to calm him down. I was like a mother hen."

An RSPCA spokesman said: "It's a mystery how he got so far out.

"It's a miracle he survived. He's just lucky a boat was passing. He's quite plump, so he must be well-loved."